User reviews

This is a movie you cannot watch without smiling due to its many kitschy, laughable elements. The only son of a wealthy old English family of frog-worshippers heads a bike gang called the Living Dead that discovers how to come back from the Great Beyond by wishing really, really hard. Hijinks ensue as the bikers kill themselves one by one and come back, ready to commit better mayhem than they ever could when alive because now they are indestructible. The story features unbelievably short skirts on all the girls; a hippy folk song about the glory of living and dying as a biker; young moms being terrorized by the Living Dead as they push prams in their go-go boots and hot pants; interior decor that inspired the makers of 'Austin Powers;' and arcane frog-worship ceremonies that ultimately lead to the undoing of the gang. Never a dull moment.

This is the stuff late night B-movies are made of! In more ways than you can count this simply should not work: a group of well-spoken, middle-class motorcycle *cough* rebels called (in an act of Shakespearean foreshadowing) "the Living Dead", whose whole raison d'etre seems to be raising terror in local supermarkets and such, decide to become zombie bikers for a hoot. They are able to achieve this with the aid of hidden knowledge from their leader, Tom, (who has a butler for God's sake!) who has made an occult alliance with a hoodoo frog…or something, and who get eventually get thwarted, in (it must be said) quite a chilling way, before they presumably wreck havoc by knocking over another bin. And yet…despite the ludicrous plot, executed with some ludicrous suicide scenes, and the ludicrous funeral scene for Tom (which will genuinely have you mouthing "what the…?")…not to mention Tom's ludicrous Lazarus moment, the film does have a certain eerie feel to it which, although not particularly scary, nonetheless raises it above the slight 70s campiness of it all and makes it a watchable flick. A lot of this vibe is certainly owed to the music which, in addition to the wah-wah pedal getting an inevitable seventies workout, has a memorable recurring motif and certainly adds a tinge of mystery to proceedings…especially in the morgue scene. Certainly the movie, along with the likes of 'Dracula AD 1972' and 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula', signalled the death knell of British horror which had ruled the sixties, but if you happen to come across it nestled among the late night schedules and you don't have work the next day, then with your tongue set firmly in your cheek settle down and enjoy...you could certainly do a lot worse.

The British are one of the few cultures with enough savvy to pull off a good cult cycle science fiction scenario.

This one involves a family of a Satanic nature, the mother of whom is prim and proper, and whose other member, her son, is the leader of a Hellish motorcycle gang.

Goerge Sanders is the wild card as the butler figure.

The son learns that he can have an immortal and immoral life of evil just by dying, under the right conditions. The catch is a series of rituals along with an unfailing Faith in your resurrection into Evil.

He paves the way and convinces the rest of his biker gang to join him. It is a small grass roots gang of 2 women and 5 other men. Most are willing, but a couple of them relent.

Ann Michelle excels with a great presence as an evil biker girl. Too bad she wasn't a heroine more often, but the seventies were not a decade of risk taking, despite what people claim. Stereotyping was a seventies staple.

Still, this film has a great atmosphere to it, a bit of humor, and some creativity, never detracting from the story line.

PSYCHOMANIA (aka: THE DEATH WHEELERS) is the uplifting tale of a gang of bratty bikers and their hopelessly infantile leader, Tom Latham (Nicky Henson). Growing dreadfully bored with the hum-drum world of anti-social thuggery, Tom decides to dabble in the realm of the occult in order to gain immortality for himself and his terrorizing, turd brigade.

Luckily, his mum (Beryl Reid) is a medium, and their butler, Shadwell (George Sanders), just might be more than he appears to be- Hope you guessed his name! So, Tom attains a toad talisman, and gets a crash course in his diabolical family history. Then, after a fun day of mindless murder and mayhem, including a game of baby-pram-pinball, Tom does the unthinkable! He initiates his infernal plan for his gang's eternal, psychotic playtime!

The rest is about his mates' following his lead, and the unfortunate results. A grand time is had by all!

EXTRA POINTS: For the notorious "biker funeral" and "motorcycle resurrection" scene. It truly must be witnessed to be fully appreciated! Who knew that bikers wove flower wreathes or wore crocheted vests?

EXTRA EXTRA POINTS: For the gang members' names, like,"Hinky", "Hatchet", "Gash", "Chopped Meat", and, of course, "Bertrem"!

EXTRA SPECIAL POINTS: For the novel suicides, including, tossing oneself into a lake, wrapped in battleship chains! Amazing!

These motorbikes run on pure cheeeze! Soooo, squeeze into those leather trousers my friends, for this is why cinema was created! Is that another pram?!...

Imagine If You Will Me At 13 Years Old And My First TV In My Own Bedroom ... Imagine Working Hard All Week So I Can Stay Up Late Saturday Night And Watch Late Night TV And "Psychomania" Is The Movie I Watch ... My First (Undead, Zombie) Back From The Dead Movie ... Of Course Not The Movie I Remember In The Dark Of A Late Night Saturday But Still Interesting And A Good Watch ... Yes Campy And Outdated This Movie Never Offers A Dull Moment ...

A gang of young hippie motorcyclists calls themselves The Living Dead.They terrorize various drivers on the roadways and citizens of British small town.The secret of eternal life is fairly simple:you must kill yourself without hesitation.So our bullying motorcyclists commit suicide one by one and they return literally as the living dead...Extremely cheesy and superbly funny horror/bikersploitation flick made by Don Sharp.There is plenty of violence but no blood and a Black Sabbath-esque proto-doom soundtrack is nicely groovy.The scene of Tom's burial in the ground of the Seven Witches has to be seen to be believed.The stunts are great and the plot is gleefully weird and silly.7 undead bikers out of 10.

I've just watched this great film, and I just can't believe I haven't watched it sooner. What a movie! It's got everything a great seventies horror should have - groovy music (very reminiscent of Air's soundtrack for The Virgin Suicides), a well-spoken biker gang, hilarious suicide attempts, the living dead, as well as a bizarre occult fascination with frogs. Or were they toads? Who cares. It's a great film anyway, and I was pleasantly suprised at it's total lack of sex and gore. It just goes to show that you can have an entertaining horror film without resorting to exploitation.

And as for suprise endings, well, you'll never see this one coming, I promise you!

Do not watch this movie if you are expecting a horror flick; you will be disappointed. If you are in the mood for a comedy, however, this is a fantastic choice. You will be enthralled by the Mystical Frog Amulet. You will be dazzled by Tom's brilliant logic. The soundtrack is the only part of the movie that's REALLY scary. That said, I have to admit I have seen it dozens of times because it's just so much fun.

Nicky Henson leads a bike gang called The Living Dead. Cool! His mum Beryl Reid (yes, Beryl Reid) dabbles in the black arts. Groovy! Henson uses her powers to resurrect himself and his gang from the grave. Happening! But his girlfriend doesn't want to follow him into the afterlife. Square! Supposedly a horror film but – as my oh-so-subtle comments imply – it's far too eager to appeal to a hip and swinging early 70's audience to be at all frightening. Some bits are fun; all the bike chases, Henson revving his machine out of a grave, the series of suicides set to funky music. I'm also immensely glad that people make this kind of picture. But I think I prefer writing 'zombie biker film' more than I do actually watching the things. So: zombie biker film. I'm done.

For years after its release, this movie was considered as juvenile, sensationalist trash. It was also 'allegedly' one of the reasons the veteran actor George Sanders made the ultimate career move - after his involvement with the film. However with today's young directors pre-occupied with concrete, drugs and misery, this old film now looks quite stylish and appears to be maturing like a cheerful old wine.

A gang of young people calling themselves the Living Dead terrorize the population of their small town. After an agreement with the devil, if they kill themselves firmly believing in it, they will return and gain eternal life. Following their leader, they commit suicide one after the other, but things do not necessarily turn out as expected...

The film started out as a production from Benmar Productions, which predominately made Spaghetti Westerns in Spain (such as "Captain Apache") but also produced "Horror Express" the year prior. Then along came this script, which was either titled "Psychomania" or "Death Wheelers" (sources seem to disagree equally on the "correct" title). Interestingly, today "Horror Express" is a minor classic, but "Death Wheelers" is forgotten. Why?

All the right ingredients are here for the perfect blend of cult classic and respectful film. On the respectable side, you have DP Ted Moore, who had shot several James Bond films and had already won an Oscar for "A Man for All Seasons" (1966). Would an Oscar winner make a bad film? And composer John Cameron is well known for his many film, TV and stage credits, and for his contributions to "pop" recordings, notably those by Donovan, Cilla Black and the group Hot Chocolate. So say what you will, but the camera and sound are as good as any big budget film.

On the cult side, you have a great cast of B-movie veterans: Denis Gilmore (Village of the Damned), Nicky Henson (Witchfinder General), Beryl Reid (Dr. Phibes Rises Again) and more. While none of them are big names, that role is filled by George Sanders, a giant in the world of cinema (who, quite frankly, was slumming it here in his final role). Some key moments -- such as the baby in the supermarket -- make this a timeless exploitation gem, and you have to give them credit for beating Roger Corman's "Death Race 2000" (1975) in some respects.

When you talk about low budget films, it is dun to note where the (little) money goes. Interestingly, the film's single biggest expense was the mechanics, because (according to Nicky Henson) eight full-time mechanics were needed to keep the motorcycles running. The studio could not afford top-end bikes (especially if they were going to be wrecked), but probably spent almost as much getting these lesser bikes to stay operational. The only expensive cast member was legendary actor George Sanders, so shooting was scheduled around him to get him off the set in five days.

The biggest unforeseen expense may have been for stunt man Cliff Deakins, who might have ended up in the hospital three times during filming if the on-set stories are correct. He found himself hitting walls (and water) harder than intended. According to IMDb, this film is his only credit, which really leaves me wondering where he came from and where he went.

Apparently, this movie was almost universally hated in the 1970s, both by critics and the cast. Respect has grown for it ever since, and rightfully so. While not outright scary in any way, and without the deepest plot or dialogue, it really is a fun, twisted film and a great concept. The subgenre of "supernatural motorcycle riders" is small, but "Psychomania" is definitely better than either of the "Ghost Rider" films.

As always, Arrow Video brings us the best possible version of the movie in terms of picture and sound, and pack in the extras. We get a brand-new interview with star Nicky Henson and "Hell for Leather", a brand-new featurette on the company who supplied the film's costumes (which is more interesting than you might think). Brought over fro ma previous Severin release, we have "Return of the Living Dead", an archive featurette containing interviews actors Henson, Mary Larkin, Denis Gilmore, Roy Holder and Rocky Taylor and "Sound of Psychomania", an archive interview with composer John Cameron. Heck, we even get "Riding Free", an archive interview with 'Riding Free' singer Harvey Andrews proving he can still play (and sing) the tune decades later.

A very brief feature (roughly 2 minutes) us "Remastering Psychomania", a look at the film's restoration from the original 35mm black and white separation masters. If you're like me and are still learning the difference between 2K, 4K, interpositive, and other terms of the Blu-ray era, this is a great crash course on what is done to make an old film pop like new.

I remember seeing PSYCHOMANIA as a child when it was broadcast one Friday night many years ago and I also remember liking it very much . Having just seen it again minutes ago I`ve come to the conclusion that it`s a ridiculous movie but it still remains a very likable movie

Yes it`s total and absolute rubbish with a plot that doesn`t bare scrutiny , some totally unconvincing performances by actors who`d be at home on some provincial stage , lines that will have you laughing out loud complete with some cheesy folk and rock muzak but that`s the whole point of why I found this movie an entertaining experience . I could remember much of the dialouge and scenes from my childhood and after seeing them again they`re just as I remember them , scenes like the policeman asking the guitar playing tearaway to " Come down here " and the bit where the cops hide in the mortuary with the camera turning 360 degrees to show ... ah but that would be telling . If I have a problem with the movie it`s down to the fact that the script is a little thread bare and very uncomplicated which means it`s not a movie you can watch over and over again , and it should be pointed out the ending is a bit of a cop out but if I had the choice of watching this to a prize winning art house flick I`d watch PSYCHOMANIA everytime

Oh and in case anyone is wondering where they`ve seen the desk constable at the police station he`s the legendary John Levene who used to play Sgt Benton in DOCTOR WHO

"Tom Latham" (Nicky Henson) is a young man who is obsessed with death. To be more specific, he is obsessed with dying and then returning back to life. He is also a cruel and vicious young man who is the leader of a motorcycle gang known as "the Living Dead" and for sport they enjoy terrorizing the people around them. Not coincidentally, his mother dabbles in the occult and one day tells him the secret of returning from the dead. Armed with this knowledge he commits suicide and after he is buried does indeed return. Only this time he is even more cruel and to that end seeks to convince his old gang to kill themselves so that they can become just like him and inflict as much pain and suffering to all of the innocent people they can find. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an interesting biker-zombie combination which started out pretty good and maintained my interest pretty much from start to finish. Unfortunately, I didn't especially care for the ending which I thought could have used significant improvement and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

I mean, come on...George Sanders, biker thugs who return from the dead, and a creepy, wah wah-drenched soundtrack. What's not to like? "Psychomania" isn't the kind of film you overanalyze; it's the kind of film you sit back and enjoy for the simple pleasure it offers. Nicky Henson (Ian Ogilvy's buddy in "The Conqueror Worm") might have been embarrassed about starring in this low-budget scare flick, but he does a very respectable job as Tom, the smirking rebel without a cause who wants to live forever. Beryl Reid plays his enigmatic, oddly passive mother, a medium who wants Tom to stay away from the mysterious room in which his father died. The terrific George Sanders is their butler, Shadwell. He seems fairly harmless at first, but his sinister significance becomes apparent soon enough. Lots of eerie moments and a nice, gloomy, '60s-gone-sour atmosphere. Watch "Psychomania" late at night, all by yourself, with the lights out :)

In the 1971 British film "Psychomania," we are asked to believe that it is possible for a person who commits suicide to return from the dead, if only he/she really wants to enough, AND if he/she has made a pact with a certain frog-worshipping devil cult beforehand. Anyway, Tom, leader of the biker gang The Living Dead, decides to give it a go, and after crashing his hog off a bridge, does indeed come back to life, full throttle, as it were. He convinces the rest of his co-ed gang to follow suit, and pretty soon, The Living Dead is living up to its name, immortally causing mischief and homicide around the countryside... A one-of-a-kind film that must surely have an adoring cult somewhere, "Psychomania" is one fun experience indeed. The film is well shot, and features lots of nifty motorcycle stunt riding; while perhaps not in the same league as the amazing stunts in "The Road Warrior" (1982), they are still pretty exhilarating. Some sections of the movie are downright trippy, and almost make me wish I'd viewed this film "doobied out" in a theatre back in my college days. A freaky fuzz guitar score adds to the mood greatly. And fans of the urbane and impeccably enunciating George Sanders will be interested to see this great actor in his last role, before his suicide a short time later. (As "The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film" drolly reports, he "did not return on a motorcycle.") Though never especially scary, "Psychomania" never fails to amuse and amaze, and certainly deserves all the positive word of mouth that it has accrued over the years. As for the DVD that I just watched itself, it looks just fine, but is absolutely without frills; not even chapter stops. If ever a horror film warranted a "special edition," this is the one!

I saw this film back in the seventies and recommended it to my brother, he has never forgiven me. Even now when we talk about it (it is a truly unforgettable film for all the wrong reasons) we preface all our sentences with "Ribbit" in homage to the frog, all will become clear when you watch this train wreck of a movie. You become like a deer caught in the headlights of a car - mesmerized unable to turn away - although you know you are going to be wasting an hour and a half of your life. You think it cannot get any worse but it does over and over again. Scenes that are supposed to have you cringing behind the sofa in fear have the complete opposite effect and you end up rolling on the floor doubled up in laughter. The last time it was shown on UK terrestrial television the reviewer came to his senses and listed it not as a horror but a comedy which speaks volumes. It is a worthy winner of the title of "It's so bad it is really good" Having said all that I treasure my copy of the film.

Come back George Saunders/Beryl Reid all is forgiven.

I really don't want to say this is my favorite movie, but it sure is tempting. I know full well how cheesy and ridiculous it is... but it's also the most rockin', stylish, all-out groovy flick I have ever seen!

I have no idea why this is classified as a horror movie. As far as I can tell, it's meant to be a comedy. A very, very black comedy. The movie's brilliance is that it takes extremely touchy subjects and turns them into lighthearted jokes. The basic message, as far as I can tell, is that there is nothing wrong with mass suicide, anarchism, or devil worship... in fact, it can even be fun! Now, can they really be SERIOUS about this? I think not. The entire movie is a joke, and a very funny one.

With scenes such as a a biker jumping to his death after telling a cop "I'll be right down!", a biker blasting out of his grave on his motorcycle, a biker coming back from the dead in the morgue and calmly walking out like he just woke up from a nap, etc., all accompanied by some seriously sweet rock music, this is about as cool as it gets. I defy anyone to come up with a more entertaining movie than this.

Psychomania/The Death Wheelers is not a good movie by any objective measure, but it has its own brand of eerie charm that makes it worthwhile, if you set your expectations properly.

Headed up by the charismatic Nicky Henson and the ethereally beautiful Mary Larkin, Psychomania (the title under which I first encountered it as a young boy in 1977) tells the tale of a biker gang whose devil-worsipping leader learns how to return from the dead. He convinces most of the gang to off themselves in order to return as indesctructible hooligans, but Abby (played by Ms. Larkin) is still a holdout.

The ending (which I will not spoil here) sees the bad guys suffer one of the worst fates imaginable. Truly creepy, and absolutely sold by Larkin's performance. A great and overlooked British b-movie classic, Psychomania is well worth a view.

This movie is great if taken in the right perspective.A motorcycle gang kills themselves one by one and come back to wreak terror.Watch for two scenes in particular one where the leader rides his motorcycle out of his grave the other scene where the police are investigating the morgue then in the next instant the police are lying in the morgue.Truly incredible stuff.I highly recommend it.If you like this i also recommend Children shouldn't play with dead things.